“NAMA’s Washington Policy Conference is an important
opportunity for policymakers to hear firsthand from millers in their districts
and states,” NAMA Senior Director of Government Affairs Kim Cooper said. “This
outreach is absolutely crucial to advancing milling priorities like investing
in grain research and improving U.S. international food aid programs through
the farm bill process."
Yesterday, representatives from 11 NAMA member companies
participated in 56 total meetings with congressional offices, including key
members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. Given that the farm
bill is currently due for reauthorization by September 30, 2023, conversations
with lawmakers and their staffs focused on farm bill priorities, including:
“Putting the food back in food aid” by restoring farm bill-authorized programs to their roots as pure in-kind commodity donation programs. Increasing the farm bill’s authorization for wheat and barley research from $15 million to $20 million to support the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative. Ensuring that farm bill conservation programs do not further skew planting decisions away from food grains such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye.
The Washington Policy Conference was also timely considering that several supply chain-related bills supported by NAMA were voted on Tuesday, May 23 in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Specifically, the committee advanced top NAMA priorities around trucking, including a pilot program for increased trucking weights and an increase in axle tolerance to allow for dry-bulk shifts.
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